The Gem Within
by Echos and Howls
Summary: The short story of a rare type of Gem IF YOU DON'T LIKE RUSHED STORIES, LEAVE NOW!
1. Peculiar Cub

SPOILERS FROM JAILBREAK!

**_"The gems, they raised me, the humans, they hate me"_**

This is a short story about my gemsona, Amber.

This story was made directly after the steven bomb, so don't kill me if Jasper and Lapis come back a different way or something in future episodes.

Also, notice how things seem a bit rushed?

THAT'S CAUSE IT'S A SHORT STORY :)

Enjoy~

Prologue

A Peculiar Cub

The golden light of dawn shone down on the forest floor, illuminating the trees. The sun did not touch the bears that slept under the shade of the trees. All of the bears were asleep except for Tess the grizzly bear, who was questioning the orange cub she had reared the night before. In the cub's wrist there was a smooth orb of amber embedded into it. Tess didn't want to name this cub. All she wanted to do was abandon it and let the eagles take it. It was most likely cursed. She roared at the cub with frustration and fear, not afraid to wake up other bears. Tess grasped the cub in her mouth and snorted with hatred. She trundled to the shallow brook and shoved the cub into the chilly autumn waters. There was a squeal of surprise and terror from the cub as her warm body met the freezing waters. She flailed her arms and roared as Tess turned around and walked away. Abandoning her cub, a mixture of two emotions stung Tess. Victory and another feeling that she couldn't quite put her finger on.

Was it guilt?


	2. Bearnapped!

The cub had survived the freezing temperatures and the hungry wolves that lurked in the shadows. Survival was harder than she had expected. The cub made a different den every night, each one as uncomfortable as the last. Sometimes the bear wished she died in the river. It was a very windy afternoon. The soothing breeze ruffled the orange fur of the bear and carried a salty scent from the ocean. It wasn't too far, but the bear knew that the shore was very close to a road. For the first time, she didn't care. Her paws ached, her fur was dirty, and her throat burned with thirst. Almost immediately, she darted through the trees, swiftly dodging roots and leaping over boulders. For a large creature with stumpy legs and the supposed grace of a camel, the bear was actually very agile and graceful. Soon enough, the dirt made way for the sand and the smell of sea water was very strong. She had made it! There was only one problem. A road separated the forest from the shore.

It wasn't busy at all,but the bear certainly didn't want to die. It was worth a shot. She bolted across the street, each paw step full of caution and confidence. Finally, she had made it. The sand was hot and soft, untouched by humans. The bear happily rolled in the sand, occasionally roaring playfully. The waves made soft, comforting sounds. Halfway through the bears playtime, there was a strange splashing sound that stood out from the waves. She sat up, staring into the ocean. There wasn't any havoc at all. Only a small human head bobbing at the surface. Or at least she thought it was human. Its skin was a light blue, it's short, wet hair a darker blue. Only her eyes were visible and a little bit of her nose. A wave washed over her, but when the wave was gone, no human remained. The bear tilted her head to the side in confusion. _What was that? _The bear wondered. Her thoughts were interrupted by a screeching noise. The cub spun around, her paw lifted. She failed to realize her gem was completely exposed. In front of her was a van that read Mr. Universe. The door bursted open and a tall figure leaped out. It was a human. She was tall and bold. Her triangular glasses hid her eyes, but the bear could sense her alertness and anger. She wasn't so sure it was anger. There wasn't enough time to think about it or even react, because gauntlets formed on the being's fists and she punched the cub in the face. Everything went black.


	3. In Too Deep

p style="text-align: center;"lol, sorry its not as long!/p  
p style="text-align: center;" /p  
div style="text-align: center;"Lapis let herself float to the surface, only letting her head go up over the water. The first thing she saw was a bear. Controlling the waves, she let one push her under. Lapis was quite tired of being under the sea, which was why she was trying to flee the grasp of the ocean without being seen. She had lost Jasper soon after unfusing. Lapis stifled laughter when she thought of this, but Jasper mercilessly got carried away in a current, flailing her arms and yelling. It was the funniest thing that she had ever seen! Lapis dove down more until she reached the edge of the continental shelf. Lapis let herself slide down the slope. It would be a while till she reached the floor, where she could go dormant in her gem form, but it was fine with her. More time to think. To plan. To prepare./div  
p style="text-align: center;" /p 


	4. Steven

div style="text-align: center;" /div  
div style="text-align: center;" /div  
div style="text-align: center;"The cub woke up in a small bed decorated with stuffed animals. She let out a soft groan and lifted her head. On the edge of the bed sat a human boy with dark brown frizzy hair and a red t-shirt with a yellow star on it. His eyes were stuck on her gem. "Oh, you're a gem! That's why Garnet punched you and took you here!" The bear looked bewildered. A gem? She was a bear, not a rock! The boy took out a book that had a crystal on the front. The bear couldn't exactly tell what it said, but she knew it had to be about whatever "gems" were. "And by the looks of it, you are... Amber! That's your name, Amber!" The boy said, putting the book on the bed so she could see it. On the page there was a picture of a round orange gem with a spider stuck in it. The bears gem had a bear claw in it. "My name's Steven! I'm a gem too!" The boy said, pulling up his shirt so Amber could see his pink gem. Amber let out a frustrated growl. She could understand this human, but she wanted to speak English too! She was confused, scared, and the spot where this so called "garnet" has punched still hurt./div  
div style="text-align: center;" /div  
div style="text-align: center;""Right. You're a bear. Try shapeshifting." Steven replied. Amber tilted her head with confusion, a slight underbite forming on the side of her mouth. "Think about turning into a human. The whole process. I can't explain it because I might turn into a cat monster again!" Chuckled the boy. Amber was about to question him again, but she just did as she was told. There was a flash of orange light. The bear was completely replaced with a human. She was a tad older than Steven and had the same build as Lapis. Her hair was longer, but shorter than Amethyst. Amber's skin was a pale orange and her hair was more of a neon orange./div  
div style="text-align: center;" /div  
div style="text-align: center;""Woah." Gasped Steven. Amber's cheeks turned a darker orange. "I'm ugly, aren't I? For the love of Ursidae, I should have NEVER trusted any of you GEMS!" Amber roared with anger. "No! You're not ugly! And... you're a gem too, right? Didn't you come from Homeworld? Are you a Crystal Gem?" Steven inquired. "Too many questions... I don't know what Homeworld is. I .came from my mom. A bear. An inconsiderate one..." Amber signed. "Uhhh, gems don't have parents. Except me. And i'm half-human!" Steven replied. He was surprised and confused. "Gems are aliens, right? Maybe I landed overnight and my 'mother' thought I was her baby?" Amber responded. "Woah, that's an idea! Let me introduce you to Pearl! I see you've already met Garnet, sorry about that!" The boy chuckled sheepishly. "It's fine! I understand that gems are a rare race and she'd be surprised to see another one of her nearly extinct kind wandering around." Amber laughed. "Rare? Nah. Maybe she thought you were a bad guy." Steven said, climbing down to the living room. "Bad?" Amber sighed, jumping swiftly off the bed. "Homeworld gems are bad and Crystal Gems are good!" Steven explained. Pearl was sitting on the couch reading a book. She looked up once, then looked back at the book. Suddenly, she looked up again, her eyes wide. She leapt to her feet and summoned her spear. "What are you doing here?" She hissed. Her nose was scrunched up with anger. "Pearl! She's not a Homeworld gem! She's a CRYSTAL gem!" Yelled Steven, hoping his new friend wouldn't be stabbed by Pearl's lance. Pearl lowered her lance. She hesitated. "Then... why don't I recognize her?" She huffed nervously. "I don't know where I came from or which team I am on for sure, but I know i'm not evil..." Amber whined. Pearl sighed. "You're an aging gem. You won't die of age, but once you turn 20 you'll stop aging for good. Most aging gems are sent to Earth in a pod, and the majority of them are born as animals. Otherwise they are born in a biological mess tat I cant explain easily. Are you an animal...?" Pearl explained. Amber shapeshifted into a bear. "Yep!" She barked happily. "Now you're the first aging animal Crystal Gem. Welcome to the team." Garnet said. Steven and the bear jumped. Garnet was listening the whole time?/div 


	5. Wolf

div style="text-align: center;"Amethyst came up behind Amber and glomped her "Yay, another squirt!" She cheered. Amber turned into a human and chuckled, hugging Amethyst. There was a thump outside, sending sand flying onto the window. "Uh, Pearl? What was that?" Steven whined, cowering behind Garnet. Amber wanted to prove herself so badly, and now was her chance! "I'll go check." She said, her head held high. She turned into a falcon and dove for the door "No! Amber, it's not-" Pearl started. "Be careful, Amber. We know you won't fail us." Garnet huffed, louder than Pearl's frail voice. Amber shapeshifted into a human and stepped outside. It was cool and brisk out. From the porch she couldn't see much, so she began to walk downstairs. Once Amber's door hit the bottom step, an orange blur darted under the steps. Amber drew back, hesitated, then bolted down onto the beach. It was quiet and unsettling. The stillness was completely broken when a colossal wolf leapt up, silhouetting on the sun. Time seemed to slow down for a moment. Amber's heart almost stopped. The wolf landed in front of her. It's eyes were wide with curiosity. The gem placed her hand tentatively on the wolf's muzzle. He snorted with affection and nuzzled her hand. Amber chuckled and pet the wolf. "Aww, you just wanted a friend... Can I ride you?" She said to the wolf. The wolf crouched down, inviting her to get on his back. Amber hopped on. He seemed even bigger once you got on him. The wolf pounced onto the roof of the house with one swift leap. He continued up until he reached the very top of the temple. He let Amber off his back there. They were on a cliff covered with the softest grass. The whole thing was surrounded by a fence. Amber wondered if the fence was for safety or if an incident caused the need of a fence. The wolf yawned and shut his golden eyes. Amber leaned on him and enjoyed the serenity of Beach City. She loved her life. A few minutes had passed before a pink lion leapt next to Amber. The lion wasn't alone. Steven was riding on him! The lion crouched down and Steven hopped off. The wolf lifted his head with curiosity, then settled down again once he saw who it was. "Is that your wolf?" Steven asked Amber. "I guess so! Is that your lion?" Amber decided. "Yep! I think he has some connection with my mom." Steven responded./div  
div style="text-align: center;""Your mom? Who was your mom?"/div  
div style="text-align: center;""Rose Quartz."/div  
div style="text-align: center;""Never heard of her."/div  
div style="text-align: center;""Of course you haven't!" Chuckled Steven. "Maybe Pearl can tell you more about her." Sighed Steven. He seemed to be staring into space just as Amber was, but he looked sad. "Is she dead...?" Whined Amber carefully. "She died giving birth to me." The gem huffed. "Well I guess that makes two of us who never met our real mothers. I don't think I even have a real mother." Amber said, scooting closer. She felt bad for making her new friend sad, but she felt better about talking about how she wanted to meet her real mom. All of a sudden, Steven's peppy personality came back! "Hey, have you met Connie yet?" Steven inquired. "Er, no? I kinda just got here!" Snickered Amber. "Well, come on! You guys are gonna be best friends!" Steven laughed, getting onto Lion. Amber got onto her wolf. The wolf was ready to follow Lion. Lion sprung off the cliff and down the coast, a massive canine following behind him./div 


End file.
